Skip to content Skip to navigation

Celebrating 60 years of Indian Independence – Lets be proud of it

At stroke of midnight, on 15 August 1947, India became an independent nation. This landmark event was preceded by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's famous speech titled Tryst with destiny.

“At the stroke of the
midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance..... We end today a period of ill fortune, and India discovers herself again.” Our country is celebrating the 60th year of its Independence this 15 August 2007 . Independence from its imperialistic rulers—a sweet fruit of the bitter toil by our ancestors and freedom fighters. “They gave up their today to give us our tomorrow,” a sacrifice that can never be repaid by this generation. The young generation, the future of India has taken their freedom for granted and seem to have become complacent of their present status which had been passed on to them by their patriotic ancestors. The freedom struggle has only become a lesson in the school curriculum that has to be mugged up correctly in order to spill out in an examination paper. Apart from the beauracrats and a few others 15th August has become just another holiday for us to sit back and recoup from our busy lives. These days how many of us actually pay respect to the national anthem? It is the duty of every Indian to stand up as soon as one hears the national anthem whenever wherever he or she may be. But sadly very few of us practice this in our daily lives. However, it would be wrong to say that the youth are totally devoid of nationalistic feelings, their way of expression may differ but deep down the sentiments are the same—love for their motherland. Many of us participate in the flag hoisting ceremonies that take place in their respective alma maters or localities while many hoist the tri colour in their own homes and vehicles. Patriotic SMSs are exchanged and the ubiquitous accessory of today’s youth—the cell phone tinkles with patriotic songs in the form of ring tones or hello tunes. Some express their solidarity by wearing tri coloured caps and the less adventurous prefer to catch the Independence Day celebrations that are telecast in the television. Sadly our hard earned freedom seems to have lost its glory in the quagmire of the new age “imperialism” that the country is facing in the form of religious riots, ethnic clashes, regionalism and terrorism. Many parts of India are burning in the pyre of hatred emanating from the above causes. Probably, its time, for us to once again take steps, for the people to unite and stand up for their rights and fight against these internal demons to protect the nation’s honour and unity. Our country is a gift to us by our ancestors let us not let their sacrifice go in vain. And the young generation needs to lead the way. Jai Hind!
Author info

Rituparna Goswami Pande's picture

Journalist, writer

Comments

jaay's picture

“Young generation needs to lead the way“. Very true, but in this time and space I often wonder whether all the sacrifices that were made were worth all the efforts or not. If I start from Kashmir, trail my way to Uttar Pradesh through Punjab, and then cross over to Bihar and then move to North East (7 Sisters) and turn around to move down to Jharkhand, move toward Gujrat, running into Maharashtra and then dig deeper into Andhara and move into Tamil Nadu, I am wondering where do I rest? Which is the place where I can sit and tell those great people who laid their lives, Look this is the place which was worth fighting? All we are left with people looking for their cultural identities, states trying to convert boundaries based on culture? When I watch the Republic day parade on television, sometimes I wonder, are we this BIG? Or are we just trying to pretend that everything is OK. We need to focus on nation as an entity which was a dream to these national heroes and I agree with you, young generation have a bigger role to play. President Kalam worked on a concept, but I don’t know if we live to see it materialize, we have lot work on before it’s too late, to start with, if we can start with just believing that we are great nation, a nation and heritage to be proud of ,it could be a small but good beginning. And yes, of course, JAI HIND. Nice thoughts.

Pages

Add new comment

Assamese Translator

Assam Times seeks English to Assamese translators!
Join our volunteer team.
Email editor@assamtimes.org.

Random Stories

NDFB-S rebel held in Kokrajhar

8 Nov 2017 - 7:43pm | AT Kokrajhar Bureau
Security forces in Kokrajhar claimed to have apprehended yet another NDFB-S rebel along with an over ground worker (OGW) at Dwimuguri village under Panbari police outpost in Chirang district early...

Award for Kristna Saikia

4 May 2016 - 7:22am | Mowsam Hazarika
Kristna Saikia, a well known actress has been honoured with 'Maharashtra Gaurav Samman'- (Pride of Maharashtra ) award on 1st May 2016 on Maharashtra Day by EIN news Channel 'Indian express News' as...

Protested Swami in Kokrajhar

15 Mar 2015 - 4:55pm | Hantigiri Narzary
Protest wave continued in Assam against BJP leader and Member of Parliament Dr Subramaniam Swami’s remarks on mixed of religion and politics while visiting to the state that Kokrajhar district...

M’laya stresses political consensus on border row

13 Jun 2012 - 3:24am | editor
Meghalaya on Tuesday reiterated political consensus to settle the simmering interstater border row with Assam.Chief Minister Mukul Sangma said that the need was build a consensus among all political...

Other Contents by Author

This women’s day I salute those unsung ‘heroes’ who have withstood the onslaught of fickle fate. No they are not faces in the crowd rather they are the crowd whose faces we don’t remember. They are those who are living in the periphery of life, battling everyday issues of home and hearth.I bow my head in reverence to the grit of Mausam’s mother who put aside her grief after losing her only son to Ewing’s Sarcoma in order to stand as a pillar of strength to her broken husband who unable to bear the tempest of misfortune had almost lost touch with reality. I like many others was a helpless bystander of the tale of woe that had fallen like a bolt from the blue on this poor family.  But...
If I had wings and were a birdWould travel the world and orbit the EarthOr had I been a butterfly Eclectic colors would be mineI would hover over trees, flutter over blooms, On a spiritual high, I would go into a swoonShould I be a fish and swim the seaPass through oceans or haunt a reefWith beautiful corals for companyThe heart would leap at Nature’s bountyHad I been a fir tree insteadMy leaves would flutter in snow headsThe flirty wind would kiss my soulThe icy breeze to lift me up, life would be on a rollWhat if I were the season – SpringOrchid blooms, newness to ring inNo, no let me be the sky, the endless blueFar from earth, to keep a watch on youBut then my mind looks to the...
I, KazirangaShedding tears of bloodMy children, the four leggedIn men no longer trust.God’s blessed beings are theyRoaming the wildsIn search of prey and hayOften trapped by wily menCaught unawaresBy a poaching handLeft to dieWith bleeding woundsWith their hornsCut by forest goonsNo where to runNo where to hideTheir haven encroached by thugsTheir skies taken over by two legged bugsFeigned protectionI don’t seekI, KazirangaWill continue to bleedIf there is no messiahLet my children not desireAny solace from cruel fateBut march towards extinction and Heaven’s gate.
The fact that we need to celebrate Women’s Day portends that all is not well in a women’s world. Or else why would we need to single out a day for millions of women who have equal rights and status in the world they inhabit. We don’t have a men’s day which is evidence enough that all is hunky dory with their race.The UN theme for International Women's Day 2013 is "A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women," while International Women's Day 2013 has declared the year's theme as The Gender Agenda: Gaining Momentum. But then is it really gaining momentum?As we celebrate Women’s Day today a woman is probably being raped in our rape capital i.e. Delhi or any other...
Lately every morning we have been waking up to screaming headlines of animal killings in the newspapers. Rhinos being poached with their horns brutally severed and left to die,elephants electrocuted or hunted down, their bodies mutilated and left to bleed to death. Gory pictures of animal atrocities splashed in every newspaper, every channel. It really makes one ponder as to how low humans can stoop to gratify their covetous desire for money. Twisted minds are targetting the animal kingdom, mute creatures, innocent beings who do not care nor bother to know how our world has become a slave to money. The world Heritage site Kaziranga National park has seen 20 rhino killings this year and a...
All Hindus become epitomes of excitement to the run up to the festival of the auspicious Durga puja. Pandals coming up everywhere, idols being given finishing touches, revellers thronging the markets, discount offers, designer wear on sale and so on. Everyone is under the grip of puja fever and the associated excitement.But for once if we shift our focus away from ourselves and our frivolous acts and ponder over the plights of those innocent animals that would be sacrificed during the puja offerings, I am sure the smiles in our faces would be wiped off. At least the smiles would vanish from those faces who have a little compassion for the four legged. Imagine the little pigeons, a symbol...
From bedraggled beggars on the streets to the suit clad brokers on Wall Street – the ubiquitous cell phone is everywhere, in every pocket irrespective of the rich / poor status of its owners. It is no longer an item of luxury albeit it’s a must have today, a necessary evil. For technology comes with a price and the technology behind mobile phones is sure to make mankind pay a heavy price – the price of health and safety. The recent furore created in the media worldwide over the possible hazareds of mobile phone radiation has made us sit up and take note of the pros and cons of using the innocent looking mobile handset which had till date so surely and surreptitiously...
Man is an animal first and a social animal later. However, our ‘social’ status has failed to erase our animal instincts, which lies dormant in our basic dispositions. The urge to spread violence, the need to kill, and the thirst to quench our carnal desires are proof that there is still some animal in us. These urges raise their ugly heads in the form of homicides, rape and molestation incidents, and mob violence etc putting mankind to shame. The dangerous of all is our affinity towards the mob mentality that threatens to ensnare us at the slightest pretext and at the slightest of provocation. The term “mob mentality” is used to refer to unique behavioral...
The mellifluous tinkle of the Sarod permeated the atmosphere under a canopy of twinkling stars and a soft breeze that emanated from the somber Nilachal hill. Ustaad Amjad Ali Khan and his sons Amaan and Ayaan performed at the open amphitheatre in the Kamakhya temple premises striking a divine chord in all our hearts. The setting couldn’t have been more striking. The silhouette of the sanctuary at the backdrop and the stupendous performances of maestros were the perfect mode of the two day Kameshwari Music and Dance festival 2010. Dance and music have been an inherent part of temples in India since times immemorial. In order to appease the gods these art forms have always been...
“The Assam State Zoo encompassing over 130 hectares of land boasts of an astonishing collection of some rare and extinct species of wild animals settled comfortably in their natural habitat.” This is how a website describes the zoo in our city. However, the ‘stay’ of the animals there is far from ‘comfortable’. The captive animals in small enclosures with hardly room for free movement is a far cry from comfortable. The Assam state Zoo boasts of white tigers, one horned rhinos, Swamp tapirs and leopards to name a few. The zoo is also prosperous in the avian branch and plays host to rare species of birds. Sadly, the animals are caged for better viewing of...